The White House shrugged off the idea that the revelation was anything to do with the growing questions about selective disclosure to the media, and the Pentagon said that they just now decided to concede that the attacks were happening because of “their growing significance.”

The US has been launching a growing number of drone strikes, particularly in Yemen, over the past several months. The strikes in Yemen have been centered around the Abyan Province, where US ground troops are advising the Yemeni military in an invasion.